Heather Jan Brunt

Over the festive season we have enjoyed some rather endearing visitors to our garden, who were particularly appropriate for the Christmas period.

Two roe deer took up almost permanent residence, coming and going throughout the days, and wandering around the outside of the house so that we could watch them from every window.

My husband even took to leaving hay out for them, but they preferred the grass and fallen leaves.

We have had several different species of deer on the farm for many years, they established themselves here after my husband planted several acres of woodland including oak and ash trees, hawthorn, bushes and shrubs. The deer are attracted by the food, shelter and protection offered by the woodland, but of course they don’t spend their entire time here on our farm. They travel across the fields to neighbouring farms.

But they always return and over the years their number has grown and in the spring we often see little fawns. Of course in order to spot them we have to be incredibly quiet and still.

Even when we are watching them from inside the house we know they are aware of the slightest movement from behind the windows so we have to be very careful as we move about for a better view.